St. Jude Study Scans 350000 Locations Across the Genome From 242Pati...MEMPHIS Tenn. March 07 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Investigators atSt. Ju...The St. Jude team used microarrays postage-stamp-sized chipsthat con...A report on this work appears in the March 7 online edition of Nature... The results of our study demonstrate that it is possible tosignifica...

St. Jude Study Scans 350,000 Locations Across the Genome From 242
Patients and Identifies New Mutations That Contribute to Acute
Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Suggesting New Targets for Improved Therapy

MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 07, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Investigators at
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered previously
unsuspected mutations that contribute to the formation of pediatric
acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common cancer in
children. The discovery not only suggests novel methods for
treating pediatric ALL, but also provides a roadmap for the
identification of unsuspected mutations in adult cancers.

The St. Jude team used microarrays, postage-stamp-sized chips
that contain DNA fragments, which allowed researchers to
investigate more than 350,000 markers called single nucleotide
polymorphisms. Single nucleotide polymorphisms are individual
variations in the DNA that are spaced across the human chromosomes.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms function as flags for researchers,
allowing them to detect specific deletions of DNA in a gene or
increases in the number of specific genes at a level of detail that
was previously unattainable. The St. Jude group used this approach
to analyze leukemia samples from 242 pediatric patients with ALL.
This identified an unexpectedly high frequency of mutations
involving genes that function as master regulators of normal B-cell
development and differentiation.

A report on this work appears in the March 7 online edition of
"Nature."

"The results of our study demonstrate that it is possible to
significantly speed the identification of the genetic lesions that
are the underlying cause of not only ALL, but also many other
cancers, including those affecting adults," said James Downing,
M.D., scientific director and chair of the Pathology department at
St. Jude. He is senior author of the paper.

The study found that 40 percent of patie
nts with ALL had
deletions or mutations in one of three so-called "master genes"
that control the normal differentiation of immature progenitor
cells into mature B lymphocytes. In ALL, the leukemic cells fail to
differentiate normally and remain blocked at an immature stage of
development. Locked in this state, the leukemic cells continue to
proliferate, and this continual growth of leukemic cells eventually
kills the child. The mutations identified in three genes, "PAX5,"
"EBF" and "Ikaros," are likely to directly contribute to this block
in normal lymphocyte differentiation.

"The more we learn about why progenitor cells get stuck in the
primitive, cancerous stage, the more likely we'll be able to design
new therapies that eliminate them. That could help us continue our
successful efforts to increase the survival rate of ALL," said
Ching-Hon Pui, M.D., chair of the Oncology department and American
Cancer Society Professor at St. Jude. Pui co-authored the
paper.

This work was supported in part by the National Cancer
Institute, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the
National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia), the Royal
Australasian College of Physicians, the Haematology Society of
Australia and New Zealand, and ALSAC.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally
recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving
children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by
late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude
freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical
communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments
not
covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never
asked to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its
fundraising organization. For more information, please visit
www.stjude.org.

(Date:9/22/2017)... 2017 AVACEN Medical (AVACEN) announced that its ... helping those with the widespread pain associated with fibromyalgia ... in Essex, England commented, "I ... experiencing no sleep at all, tremendous pain, with every ... recommend [the AVACEN 100] enough, how this has and ...

(Date:10/12/2017)... ... October 12, 2017 , ... First Healthcare Compliance (FHC), ... will showcase a range of technology and learning solutions at the 68th Annual ... Expo to be held October 14–18, 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in ...

(Date:10/12/2017)... ... October 12, 2017 , ... The company has developed a ... and regulatory authorities worldwide. From Children’s to Adults 50+, every formula has been ... standard. , These products are also: Gluten Free, Non-GMO, Vegan, Soy Free, ...

(Date:10/12/2017)... ... October 12, 2017 , ... ... in post-acute health care, have expanded their existing home health joint venture through ... AccentCare has been operating a joint venture home health company with Asante, delivering ...